2011 Public Opinion Polls of Jewish and Arab Citizens of ......your position on defining Israel as “the homeland of the Jewish people and all its citizens”: 2011. 2010. 25% 71%

Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and DevelopmentUniversity of Maryland

2011Public Opinion Polls of Jewish and

Arab Citizens of IsraelPoll of Jewish citizens conducted with Dahaf Institute, Nov. 10-16, 2011

Sample size: 510, Margin of error +/- 4.4%

Poll of Arab/Palestinian citizens conducted with JZ Analytics, Nov. 13-20, 2011Sample size: 500, Margin of error +/- 4.5%

Professor Shibley Telhami, Principal InvestigatorSpecial thanks to the Carnegie Corporation of New York

Mike Lebson, Evan Lewis and Abe Medoff assisted in preparation of this study

Jewish Citizens of Israel

Arab Awakening

12%

34%

46%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Foreign powers trying to stir trouble in the region

Opposition parties or sects seeking power

Ordinary people seeking dignity, freedom and a better life

Thinking about the Arab Spring, is it mostly:

Arab Awakening

15%

21%

51%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Mostly for the better

No difference

Mostly for the worse

Which of the following is closer to your view about the impact of the Arab Spring on Israel?

Arab Awakening

44%

28%

22%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Better for Israel

No difference

Worse for Israel

If the Arab Spring does in fact lead to more democracy in the Arab world, would that be:

United States & the Middle EastHow would you describe your views of President Barack Obama of the United

States?

2011 2010

54%

39%

Positive

Negative

41%

51%

United States & the Middle EastHow would you describe your attitudes toward the Obama administration policy in

the Middle East so far?2011

22%

35%

39%

Hopeful

Neither

Discouraged

Global PerceptionsWhich world leader (outside your own country) do you admire most?

Barack Obama

Winston Churchill

Angela Merkel

20102011

Bill Clinton

George Bush

6%

7%

7%

10%

12%

5%

8%

9%

Arab-Israeli Conflict

33%

52%

7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

There is full equality between Arab

and Jewish citizens

There is legal equality, but institutional and

societal discrimination

It is an apartheid relationship

How would you describe the current status of Arabs in Israel?


27%

47%

26%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Jewishness of Israel

Both are equally important

Democracy of Israel

Which of the following is more important in your view:

Arab-Israeli ConflictWhich of the following statements is closest to your view about the

prospects of lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians?

Don’t believe it will ever happen

Inevitable, but it will take more time

Will happen in the next five years

20102011

49%

42%

6%

47%

43%

8%

Arab-Israeli ConflictWhich of the following statements is closer to your view:

Neither

Even if all Arab states accept and recognize Israel, I still oppose withdrawing from territories occupied in 1967

I am prepared for a just and comprehensive peace with the Arabs based on the 1967 borders, with agreed modifications

20102011

24%

31%

43%

30%

27%

40%

Arab-Israeli ConflictWhich of the following is closer to your position on the demand that the

Palestinians accept Israel as a Jewish state:

I support it and demand as a precondition for negotiations or settlement freeze

20102011

17%

40%

39%

23%

39%

36%

I support it but would accept as part of a final peace agreement

I do not support this demand

Arab-Israeli ConflictGiven that 25% of Israelis are non-Jews, which of the following is closer to

your position on defining Israel as “the homeland of the Jewish people and all its citizens”:

20102011

25%

71%

27%

71%

I reject it

I support it

Arab-Israeli ConflictShould or shouldn’t Israel do more than it does today to promote

comprehensive peace with the Arabs based on the 1967 borders with agreed modifications and the establishment of a peaceful Palestinian state?

20102011

35%

62%

Israel shouldn’t

Israel should

31%

66%

Arab-Israeli ConflictWhat do you believe is the likely outcome if prospects of a two-state

solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict collapse:

20102011

Palestinians will eventually surrender to Israeli power & integrate into other societies

One-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians are equal

4%

9%

34%

47%

State of intense conflict for years to come

Status quo will continue with little change

4%

4%

42%

42%

Iran & Nuclear Weapons*

* The section on Iran’s nuclear weapons is part of a joint project of the Sadat Chair atthe University of Maryland and the Program on International Policy Attitudes and itsdirector, Dr. Steven Kull

Iran & Nuclear Weapons

41%

43%

Oppose such an attack

Support such an attack

There is talk of a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Do you:


65%

19%

Neither Israel nor Iran have nuclear weapons

Both Israel and Iranhave nuclear weapons

Assuming that these are the only two options, which do you think would be a better situation for Israel:

Iran & Nuclear WeaponsHow likely do you think it is that Iran will

eventually develop nuclear weapons?2011

90%

6%

Likely

Unlikely

Iran & Nuclear WeaponsSo in total, do you support or oppose the idea of having a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East that would include both Islamic countries and

Israel?

2011

64%

31%

Support

Object

Which of the following is your most important identity?

Israeli

Identity

Jewish

My family’s country of origin

Citizen of the world

2011 2010

2%

4%

37%

53%

4%

5%

39%

49%

Arab/Palestinian Citizens of Israel

25%

64%

32%

53%

There is international pressure on Iran to curtail itsnuclear program. What is your opinion?

Iran has the right to its nuclear program

Iran should be pressured to stop its nuclear program

5 Arab Countries Arab/Palestinian Israelis


Name TWO countries that you think pose the biggest threat to you.

Arab/Palestinian Israelis

Israel

5 Arab Countries

United States

United Kingdom

Iran

France

China 3

13

27

36

43

22

3

6

11

18

59

71



43%

41%

Support such an attack

Oppose such an attack

There is talk of a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Do you:

4%

68%

Arab/Palestinian IsraelisJewish Israelis

Global PerceptionsWhich world leader (outside your own country) do you admire most?

Recep Erdogan

Fidel Castro

Hassan Nasrallah

Yasser Arafat

Nicolas Sarkozy

Hugo Chavez

Saddam Hussein

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Arab/Palestinian Israelis

13

5

2

6

5

3

4

13

22

Barack Obama

Hillary Clinton

3

4

4

4

5

6

7

8

22

22

5 Arab Countries

N/A

Which of the following is your most important identity?

Religious identity (Muslim or Jew)

Identity

Citizen of your country

Arab

Citizen of the world 4

53

37

Arab/Palestinian Israelis Israeli Jews 5 Arab Countries

23

28

27

12

Palestinian

9

26

31

33


36

17

58

78

Sadat Chair

Yes No

2011

2010

Would you accept the transfer of some Arab/Palestinian towns currently in Israel to a new Palestinian state, when established?

Your opinion of possible recruitment of Israeli Arab/Palestinian citizens into non-military national service program:

47

52

38

38

11

9

Sadat Chair

2011

2010

Reject under any circumstances

Accept if Arabs granted equal rights to Jews

Accept only after Palestinian state established


How do you feel about Palestinian refugees’ right to return?

11

5

28

57

57

34

Sadat Chair

Not too important

Important but a compromise should be found

Important and cannot be compromised in any way

2011

2010



33%

52%

7%

There is full equality between Arab

and Jewish citizens

There is legal equality, but institutional and

societal discrimination

It is an apartheid relationship

How would you describe the current status of Arabs in Israel?

3%

57%

36%

Arab/Palestinian IsraelisJewish Israelis

Arab Awakening

50%

30%

24%

20%

11%

10%

9%

8%

Turkey

France

United States

China

Britain

Germany

Russia

Japan

Looking at the international reaction to the events in the Arab world in the past few months, which TWO countries do you believe played the most constructive role?

32%

29%

45%

15%

21%

19%

24%

3%

Arab/Palestinian Israelis5 Arab Countries

Arab AwakeningIn retrospect, do you believe that the international intervention in Libya was:

The right thing to do

The wrong thing to do

Arab/Palestinian Israelis 5 Arab Countries

44

35

46

35

17

75

9

86

Arab AwakeningWhen you watch events in Syria, are your sympathies mostly with the government or

the rebels seeking government change?

Rebels

Government


Arab AwakeningWhen you watch events in Yemen, are your sympathies mostly with the government

or the rebels seeking government change?

Rebels

Government 6

88

5

89


Arab AwakeningWhen you watch events in Bahrain, are your sympathies mostly with the

government or the rebels seeking government change?

Rebels

Government 8

85

24

64


When you reflect on the Arab Spring, are you more optimistic or more pessimistic than before about the future of the Arab world?

More optimistic

Feeling no change

More pessimistic 19

30

50

16

23

55

Arab Awakening


As you look ahead toward the Presidential elections in Egypt, which of thefollowing leaders would you like the next President to look like most?

Obama

Erdogan

Mandela

Ahmadinejad

Putin

King Abdullah (KSA)

Chavez

Sarkozy

Nasrallah

2

2

3

5

7

8

10

16

33

7

9

8

2

9

5

4

9

31

Arab Awakening


Documents

2011 Public Opinion Polls of Jewish and Arab Citizens of ......your position on defining Israel as “the homeland of the Jewish people and all its citizens”: 2011. 2010. 25% 71%